Where Europe’s population is growing and shrinking, in 1 map

This map from Rick Noack and Lazaro Gamio shows which regions of Europe shrank between 2001 and 2011, and which grew, according to data from Germany’s federal institute for construction research. The green areas, including much of France, the UK and Ireland, indicate where the population is expanding. The brown areas, including Portugal, Spain, Germany and Greece, show where the population is shrinking.

As Noack and Gamio write, the map shows a few interesting things. One is the Europe’s largest city centers are shedding population as people move out to the suburbs. Another is that Eastern Germany’s population is declining even faster than western Germany’s. For their full analysis, click “Know More.”